Track mounting bracket



Sept. 23, 1969 R. E. FOLTZ 3,468,509

TRACK MOUNTING BRACKET Filed Sept. 6, 1967 United States Patent US. Cl. 248-316 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates generally to an improved device or bracket means for mounting tracks of the type commonly employed to slidably support doors depending therefrom. The present application discloses bracket means including a pair of bracket members, one of said bracket members being in the form of a substantially flat plate adapted for application to a conventional door frame. The other bracket member is pivotally coupled with the upper margin of the first-mentioned bracket member and has laterally and downwardly extending portions cooperating with its companion bracket member to provide a track accommodating chamber, Means in the form of a screw member serves to clamp the bracket members against a track and also contemporaneously to clamp the bracket members against the door frame.

It has heretofore been common practice to suspend door members from hangers which are slidable within a horizontally disposed track member. In such installations, the tracks are constantly subjected to forces which tend to shift the track longitudinally. It is, therefore, one of the important objects of the present invention to provide a bracket device which, when finally secured in position upon a door frame with the track extending therethrough, will so clamp the track as to resist forces tending to shift the track longitudinally. To this end the invention contemplates a bracket device which includes relatively shiftable bracket members.

The present invention contemplates a track-supporting bracket arrangement or device which, when tightened in position against a door jamb, will contemporaneously be drawn into clamping engagement with oppositely disposed surfaces of the track.

Still more specifically, the invention contemplates a track supporting bracket means which includes a pair of hingedly coupled bracket members adapted to clampingly engage a track member.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will be more apparent from the following detailed description, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a slidable door suspended from a track mounted upon a door frame by bracket means contemplated hereby;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a track-mounting device of the type contemplated by the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bracket members when separated;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper portion of the bracket device shown in FIG. 2, more clearly to illustrate the pivotal or hinged connection of the upper portions of the bracket members;

FIG. 5 is a view of the bracket members as seen from the left of FIG. 2 and prior to the final attachment of these members in position upon a door frame; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 of FIG. 1, disclosing the final track clamping position of the bracket members.

3,468,509 Patented Sept. 23, 1969 Referring now to the drawings more in detail, wherein like numerals have been employed to designate similar parts throughout the various views, it will be seen that one embodiment of a track mounting device or bracket means of the present invention is disclosed generally by the numeral 10. This mounting device 10 comprises two cooperative bracket members 12 and -14, preferably formed from metallic strip material.

The first-mentioned bracket member 12 comprises a fiat plate section 16 adapted for engagement with the surface of a door frame 18. The lower margin of the plate 16 is formed with a track supporting flange 20. The upper margin of the plate 16 is formed with a pair of oifset prongs 22 adapted to pivotally or hingedly interlock with complementary prongs or tabs 24 provided at the upper margin of the bracket member 14.

The bracket member 14 includes an upper portion 26 which is adapted to be clamped against the upper complementary surface of the bracket member 12, as shown in FIG. 6. The bracket member 14 also includes a portion 28 extending outwardly from the upper portion 26 and a depending or vertically disposed portion 38 which, at its lower extremity, is formed integral with an inwardly extending track supporting flange 32, Thus the bracket members cooperate to provide a track accommodating opening 34, the track being designated by the numeral 36.

The manner in which the upper portions of the bracket members -12 and 14 may be hingedly or pivotally interlocked is shown in FIG. 4. Once the bracket members have been interlocked, as shown, they may be secured against inadvertent or unauthorized separation by slightly bending the prongs 24 inwardly as illustrated in FIG. 5.

The Width of the area defined by planes coincident respectively with the outer surface of the plate 16 and the inner surfaces of the tongues 22 must be sufiicient to permit the initial assembly of the bracket members as illustrated in FIG. 4. This width is indicated by the letter A in FIG. 5. After this pivotal coupling has been established, the tongues 22 may be bent inwardly slightly as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, so as to reduce this space A sufiiciently to prevent unauthorized or inadvertent separation of the bracket members. When the bracket members have been thus assembled, a screw accommodating aperture 38 of the bracket member 12 will be in substantial registration with a screw accommodating aperture 40' of the bracket 14. A conventional screw member 42 may be employed to secure the preassembled bracket members upon the door frame 18. Before the screw member 42 is tightened to its final position, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the bracket members looselyencompass the track member 36, thereby enabling said track to be longitudinally adjusted to the desired position.

By tightening the screw member 42 against the upper plate portion 26 of the bracket member 14 against the adjacent outer surface of the plate section 16 from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. 6, the plate portion 20 will yieldably and firmly impinge the outer adjacent surface of the track 36. Thus the bracket members 12 and 14 must be so proportioned tht engagement of the bracket portion 30 with the surface of the track 36 will occur before the upper portions of the bracket members are brought into intimate contact. In this manner the firm, positive gripping or clamping of the bracket 14 against the outer surface of the track 36 and the consequent impingement of the plate 16 of the bracket 12 with the wall of the track is assured.

In its final clamped position, the flanges 20 and 32 serve to support the underside of the track. In the drawing, a conventional hanger mechanism 44 (FIG. 6) is shown as supporting a door 46. The roller type hanger 44, with track 36 without impairing the track clamping effective-- ness of the bracket device 10.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the track mounting device or bracket means described herein is of relatively simple, yet practical, construction. The plate members comprising the bracket may be formed by practicing conventional sheet metal forming operations. The pivotal connection of the bracket members along their upper portions facilitates installation of the door supporting track. In other words, the relative shifting of the bracket devices and the track supported thereby may be accomplished with ease, and the final tightening of the bracket members against a supporting surface, such as the outer surface of a door frame, is accomplished contemporaneously with the clamping of the bracket members against the track.

While certain structural features of the bracket means embodying the present invention are disclosed in the drawings, it should be understood that the present invention contemplates other changes and modifications.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A device for mounting tracks of the type used to slidably support doors depending therefrom including cooperative track mounting bracket members, a first of said members comprising a plate section for engagement with supporting means such as a door frame, track supporting flange means at the lower portion of said plate section, a second of said bracket members comprising a plate section having an upper portion for clamping engagement with a complementary upper surface portion of the first-mentioned plate section and having laterally and downwardly extending portions cooperatively disposed with respect to said first-mentioned plate section to present a track accommodating chamber, track supporting flange means at the bottom of said second-mentioned plate section cooperatively disposed with respect to said first-mentioned flange means, means hingedly coupling the upper margins of said plate sections, and means below said hinge coupling means for accommodating fastener means such as a screw element to clamp said hingedly coupled plate sections against a track and contemporaneously clamp said bracket members against a supporting frame.

2. A device for mounting tracks as set forth in claim 1 -wherein' themeans hingedly coupling the plate sections comprises an interlocking tongue and slot structure.

3. A device for mounting tracks as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means hingedly coupling the plate sections includes tongue means on the first plate section laterally offset outwardly from the plane of the upper portion of said first plate section a distance at least as great as the thickness of the stock of the other plate section to permit assembly and consequent hinge coupling of said upper plate portions.

4. A device for mounting tracks as set forth in claim 1, wherein the hinge coupling for the bracket members includes struck-out tongue means on the upper portion of one plate section and complementary interlocking aperture means on the upper portion of theother plate section.

5. device for mounting tracks as set forth in claim 1 wherein the upper portions of both plate sections, upon initial assembly, are spaced a predetermined amount so as to assure ultimate resilient clamping of said plate sections against complementary opposed track surfaces When a screw member is finally tightened against said upper plate portions.

6. A device for mounting tracks as set forth in claim 1 wherein means for accommodating fastener means such as a screw element includes registering screw accommodating apertures in upper portions of said bracket members.

7. A device for mounting tracks as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for hingedly coupling the upper margins of said plate sections include side marginal tongues and complementary side marginal slots.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,791,527 2/1931 Hoflman 16-94 2,891,757 6/1959 Lang 248-224 3,353,775 11/1967 Sebo 248-300 XR ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner J. FRANKLIN FOSS, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

